“What…Where am I?” Fred asked aloud.
“Fred?” Wesley spoke. “She did it. I’ll be damned.”
“Wesley!” she rushed into her boyfriend’s arms. “Oh my God. I thought I lost you forever.”
“Fred, stop.” he pushed his girlfriend away. “I can’t--”
“How…how am I here?” she asked him. “What happened?”
“A woman named Buffy Summers gave you her soul.” Wesley explained. “I’m not sure what happened to her now.”
“Buffy?” Fred echoed. “As in…”
“The same.” Wesley nodded. “Do you know of any reason why she would?”
“No.” Fred shook her head. “I never even met the girl. Seen pictures of her in some of Angel’s older demonology books but other than that, nothing. I don’t know why she would give me her soul.”
Wesley’s cell phone rang. He frowned at Fred.
“Pryce.” He spoke.
“Wes, it’s me.” Angel told him. “Fred is there with you?”
“Yeah.” Wesley said. “What’s happening? How’s Buffy?”
“She’s…she’s dead, Wes.” Angel explained. “I need you and Fred to meet me at the hotel as soon as possible.”
Wesley watched Fred as Angel went into more detail. She looked sad, like something was plaguing her thoughts.
“Yeah, we’ll be there.” Wesley said and hung up.
“She gave up everything for him.” Fred sighed.
“Excuse me?” Wesley sighed. “Who?”
“Buffy.” Fred looked into Wes’ eyes. “I have her memories and mine. I can feel her pain, Wesley, and it was so strong. She passed her soul onto me because she knew what would happen and she can’t stop it. She thought it’d be easier for Angel to cope if she wasn’t around.”
“So, Buffy thought arranging a vast new form of suicide would be the trick?” Wesley snickered.
“No.” Fred cast her eyes downward. “She started to have these headaches soon after she left Sunnydale. Went to see a demonologist doctor and he told her that she had brain cancer. Funny, isn’t it? A former Slayer dying of something so normal as brain cancer?”
“Fred…” Wesley moved towards her but she backed away.
“She didn’t want Angel to see her like this.” Fred wrapped her arms around herself. “She thought of it as a sign of weakness. Felt she always had to be strong. Not just for him, for everyone.”
“Fred…” Wesley called out to her. “What happened to Buffy, it’s not your fault.”
“Not my fault, Wesley?!” Fred yelled at him. “If I hadn’t been so eager to open that package, this never would have fucking happened. Angel wouldn’t be grieving right now, and I wouldn’t have to feel all this pain and responsibility for people I don’t even know. How am I supposed to forget that this isn’t anything but my fault? Huh? Tell me, cuz I really feel clueless right now.”
Wesley just stands there, in shock that Fred would react this way.
“See? You know it too.” Fred pushed him out of her way. “Tell Angel I’ll be there within the hour. Goodbye Wesley.”
Fred walked out of the room and out of the building. She wasn’t even a block away when she started having flashes.
//”Who are you?”
“Let’s just say I’m a friend.”
“Maybe I don’t want a friend.”
“I didn’t say I was yours.”
“You can have your jacket back.”
“It looks better on you.”
“Oh boy.”//
“Get out of my head!” Fred screamed. “Get out! Get out! Get out!”
“I can’t.” a voice said from behind her.
Fred turned around and came face to face with the ghost of Buffy Summers.
“Oh my God.” Fred spoke.
“Not God.” Buffy walked closer. “Buffy Summers. I don’t think we were properly introduced.”
“Why did you do it?” Fred asked. “I never wanted this.”
“What, a soul?” Buffy’s expression darkened. “Or, the responsibility of other people’s lives? I’m sorry for what you had to go through, Fred, but you had more to gain than me. I was dying anyway. Maybe after doing one last good deed, I was finally redeemed.”
“For who?” Fred asked.
“I don’t know. For Angel, I think.” Buffy shrugged. “I know he never forgave me for Spike, and I can’t ever blame him for that. I could never have lived with myself knowing that I could save one more person, Fred. I need you to understand that. That’s not the real reason I’m here, anyway.”
“Why are you here then?” Fred asked.
“To help you.” Buffy stated.
“Help me?!” Fred snapped. “Then take your soul out of me. I want my own.”
“It doesn’t work like that. My soul is the only thing keeping you alive right now. Without it, you die and a lot more is at stake than what was with my sacrifice.” Buffy told her. “Look, I know how my memories are affecting you, Fred.”
“You know, do you?” Fred laughed. “You can’t possibly. I look at Angel in a whole new light, and I can feel all the pain you went through.”
“It isn’t a part of you, though. It’s a part of me.” Buffy reminded her. “You can control those emotions, Fred. You can lead your life like you used to. You just have to find it in yourself to channel those thoughts and feelings. Don’t let my former life get in the way of your happiness. There were certain reasons about why I did what I did and they have nothing to do with the memories you have, or what you told Wesley.”
“I’m not sure I can let it go.” Fred sighed. “I feel like we’re connected.”
“We are.” Buffy smiled. “In a way, I guess we always will be.”
“What am I supposed to tell Angel?” Fred asked. “He wants to bring you back. I don’t think he’s really too concerned about the consequences right now.”
“Angel…” Buffy cried silently for her lost love. “Angel needs to grieve right now. He’s not thinking straight when it comes to my death. He never really did. I don’t know how to get through to him, Fred. Right now, the only person that can do that is you.”
“Me? He looks at me with disgust and resentment.” Fred spoke.
“He’s in pain, Fred. He tends to lash out at the people he cares about most. My Watcher, Rupert Giles, once told me that death is never is easy.” Buffy sighed. “It’s not. Most people never get over the death of a loved one. Angel has lost so much more than that. Me, Cordelia, even Doyle. I know you can get through to him, Fred. Please.”
“I’ll try.” Fred nodded.
“Thanks.” Buffy felt a chill. “I have to go. Do one more thing for me?”
“Sure.” Fred agreed.
“Watch out for him, okay?” Buffy replied. “He’s going to get worse before he gets better and that tends to include sloppiness in his work. He’s going to try to keep everyone at bay and be more concerned about his job than anything.”
“I’ll remember that.” Fred made a mental note.
“Goodbye, Fred.” Buffy said and vanished.
“No. Life’s not too complicated at all.” Fred muttered and walked the rest of the way to the Hyperion in silence.